BRAKE DEVICE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a braking equipment according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] There is a wide variety of bicycle trailers available on the market, some of which offer very large transport capacity. The vast majority of these trailers do not have a service brake that is effective when used with a bicycle, which is why the maximum permissible total weight is 40 kg due to the restriction imposed by the German Road Traffic Act. As hand-operated transport carts, many of these trailers are designed by the manufacturer for total weights of up to 200 kg. As a result, without suitable braking equipment, the transport potential of these vehicles as bicycle trailers cannot be fully exploited. While there are a few manufacturers on the market that offer braked bicycle trailers, these braking equipment is not designed to be installed on the large number of different unbraked bicycle trailers available on the market.Manufacturers of braked trailers usually use their own designs of an overrun brake mechanism in combination with brake bodies from the wide range of industrially manufactured mass-produced goods.

[0003] Retrofitting existing bicycle trailers without brakes with such systems involves considerable effort, as every mounting point required for each brake body and for the drawbar device for brake actuation, if an overrun brake is desired, must be upgraded with components and reinforcements that meet the design requirements. However, it seems sensible to minimize the necessary modifications to the trailer to be equipped, so that even an experienced layperson without workshop equipment can equip their trailer with an overrun brake.

[0004] To meet this purpose, the attachment kit shown below for an overrun brake with a swing arm device for the drawbar for mounting on bicycle trailers has been developed. Its significant innovations include a new type of actuation of both rim brakes and disc brakes using a new type of swing arm device as well as new types of brake calipers, and it is connected to the bicycle trailer as an assembly unit at just a few attachment points.

[0005] DE 14 34 668 U discloses the features of the preamble of claim 1.

[0006] A brake assembly for bicycle trailers has already been disclosed in DE 1 434 668. This assembly is connected to a Bowden cable via a double-armed lever pivotably mounted on a trailer drawbar, which acts on the brake shoes. The disadvantage of this system is that a complete assembly cannot be mounted on a mounting plate.

[0007] DE 20105 957 U1 also proposes an arrangement designed as a transport device for handcart operation or for towing bicycles. Here, an overrun brake on the trailer coupling is connected to a braking device on the wheels, which can be actuated by means of a cable or rod, with the brake acting as a drum brake on both wheels.

[0008] One object of the invention is to provide components for an overrun brake. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the components are intended to be particularly suitable for retrofitting / equipment of existing bicycle trailers without interfering with the basic structure of the bicycle trailer by drilling, sawing, or welding. Instead, a complete assembly is simply attached to a mounting plate on the chassis, which is usually designed as a tubular frame, using easy-to-attach clamps or fastening clips.

[0009] The object is achieved with a braking system having the features of claim 1. Further preferred embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims or from the figures, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated, which are explained in more detail below.

[0010] It shows Fig. 1: a schematic plan view of a braking device according to the invention installed in a bicycle trailer; Fig. 2: a schematic front view of the Figure 1 brake equipment shown; Fig. 3: a first detailed view of the Figure 1 brake equipment shown; Fig. 4: a second detailed view of the Figure 1 brake equipment shown; Fig. 5: a third detailed view of the Figure 1 illustrated brake equipment; Fig. 6: a schematic front view of a swing arm device of the brake equipment according to the invention; Fig. 7: a schematic side view of the Figure 6 shown swing apparatus; Fig. 8: a schematic plan view of the Figure 6 illustrated swing mechanism; Fig. 9: a schematic plan view of a detail of another embodiment of the swing mechanism with a mounting plate.

[0011] The assembly is intended to comprise the complete brake mechanism, including the swing arm assembly (7), which contributes significantly to the stiffening of the chassis and simultaneously increases the performance of the trailer. The brake mechanism disclosed here consists of the functional groups of brake calipers with tappet (3) and the swing arm assembly for brake actuation (7), both of which are mounted on the mounting plate for the brake assembly (9) so that they can be mounted as a unit on the chassis of the bicycle trailer. For this purpose, hole patterns are preferably provided in the mounting plate for mounting the fastening clamps (10), which allow for the equipment to be adapted to a wide variety of bicycle trailers.

[0012] The brake calliper functional group consists of two identical brake calliper halves with tappet (3) that are movable against each other and can be used both as a rim brake and as Fig. 3shown, as well as being designed for operation as a disc brake. What both have in common is that each part is bent on one side around the wheel or the brake disc (2) in a pincer-like manner and acts there on the outside of the brake disc or rim (12) and on the other side is designed as a tappet, which counteracts the bent side of the other brake calliper half with tappet (3) on the respective wheel from the inside exactly as in Fig. 1 to 4 This means that, unlike conventional brake calipers, each half of the caliper acts on two wheels simultaneously.

[0013] It is advantageous to arrange the brake pads (13) in such a way that the centers of gravity of the brake pads (13) on each wheel or brake disc (2) move coaxially to each other. Fig. 1 The brake caliper halves with tappet (3) are shown one after the other to make their function easier to understand. Fig. 2 to 5represent the actual installation position one above the other. Preferably made of square tubing, they are precisely movable one above the other, floating on the left and right in a bearing of the brake calliper (11). The bearings of the brake calliper (11) are expediently mounted on hole patterns in the mounting plate (9) to enable variable mounting options on a wide variety of models. The mounting plate (9), in turn, is attached to the tubular frame (1) of the trailer using simple fastening elements (10) such as clamps or clips.

[0014] The axis of each square tube should pass through the center of gravity of the brake pads (13) on the tappet side. This requirement, in conjunction with the above-mentioned requirement of coaxial movement of the associated brake pad centers of gravity, results in the geometric arrangement of the brake pad fastening as indicated by Fig. 2 and 4is evident. The application of these measures results in the avoidance of torsion about the common center of gravity axis of both square tubes when the brake is applied, thereby preventing canting in the bearings of the brake calipers (11). If all of the aforementioned design rules are followed, a vertical offset of the braking axes between the two wheels results by one tube thickness, e.g., by 20 mm for a twenty-inch square tube. This problem can be easily solved by centering the brake caliper assembly with its common center of gravity axis on the center of the continuous chord of the wheel or brake disc (2).

[0015] To adapt the brake to different vehicle widths and to adjust the brake play, the length of the brake callipers with tappets (3) can be varied, e.g. as a version with telescopically telescopic tubes with locking option and / or with adjusting screws on the brake pad holders.

[0016] The brake is most easily actuated using a cable with a cable housing (6), actuated by the swing arm assembly (7) for brake application. Each brake caliper with a plunger (3) has a counterbearing for the cable or housing (4), both of which contract against the return spring (5) and thus pinch the wheels or brake discs (2). Versions with pneumatic, hydraulic or electromagnetic actuation are also possible according to the known rules of technology. With the correct basic adjustment of the brake calipers with plunger (3), the braking effect on both wheels is the same due to their floating bearing. As an alternative to the return spring (5) or in addition to it, adjustable springs can be fitted between the brake caliper halves (3) and the brake caliper bearing (11) to ensure friction-free centering of the brake calipers (3) when the brake is released.

[0017] The swing mechanism (7) for brake actuation is in Fig. 6 to 8 A swing arm assembly (7) operates with less friction than conventional telescopic tube solutions, particularly in the case of high load centers and pitching oscillations, resulting in a more sensitive response of the overrun brake. The swing arm assembly (7) must, on the one hand, transmit the thrust of the trailer to trigger the overrun brake, and, on the other hand, ensure the vertical and horizontal lateral guidance of the drawbar tube (8) relative to the trailer. In order to fulfill these tasks with a compact design, a construction as shown in the Fig. 6 to 8 shown applied.

[0018] It consists of a fixed swing plate (15), which is also part of the mounting plate (9), as shown in Fig. 9shown, and a movable swing arm plate (16) arranged below it, wherein an interchanged position is also possible. The movable swing arm plate (15) carries a device for the force-fitting mounting of the drawbar (8). At the front edge of the fixed swing arm plate (15) and the rear edge of the movable swing arm plate (16) there is an abutment for the cable sheath and cable pull (4), preferably designed as vertical rows of holes, in order to be able to vary the transmission ratio to optimize the braking effect.

[0019] Fig. 6 shows a front view from which it can be seen that the connecting rods (18) fastened with joints (17) cross between the fixed (15) and movable (16) swing plate. Fig. 7 shows a side view and Fig. 8A top view showing the joint attachment lines for the fixed (19) and movable (20) swing arm plates (15, 16). This design resists the torsional stress caused by the support load on an asymmetrically mounted low drawbar and keeps the trailer securely on track while allowing smooth axial movement.

[0020] Obviously, the braking equipment formed with the brake caliper halves can also interact with other means for generating a braking force or means for actuating the brake caliper halves than the swing arm device described here, just as the swing arm device described can also interact with other wheel brakes, for example with simple, conventional rim brakes, wherein the braking force that can be generated by the swing arm device does not have to actuate only one brake or braking equipment, but the braking force generated by the swing arm device can be distributed to two or more wheel brakes via cable pulls, pneumatic, hydraulic or electromechanical means. Reference symbol

[0021] 1 Tubular frame 2 Wheel or brake disc 3 Brake caliper half with tappet 4 Abutment for cable / cable housing 5 Return spring 6 Cable with cable housing 7 Swing arm assembly 8 Drawbar 9 Mounting plate for brake assembly 10 Fasteners 11 Brake caliper bearing 12 Rim 13 Brake pad 14 Tire 15 Fixed swing arm plate 16 Movable swing arm plate 17 Joint 18 Connecting rod 19 Joint attachment line for fixed swing arm plate 20 Joint attachment line for movable swing arm plate

Claims

1. Brake equipment for braking a first wheel (2) and a second wheel (2) of an at least two-track vehicle, in particular a trailer such as a bicycle trailer, having two brake caliper halves (3) which can move relative to one another and means for actuating the two brake caliper halves (3), characterized in that in that one side of one of the two brake caliper halves (3) is designed to be guided around the first wheel (2) or around a brake disk (2) arranged on the first wheel (2) and to act on an outer side of a rim (12) or the brake disk (2) of the first wheel (2), and the other side of the one brake caliper half (3) is designed as a plunger and arranged to act on an inner side of a rim (12) or a brake disk (2) of the second wheel (2), and in that one side of the other of the two brake caliper halves (3) is designed to be guided around the second wheel (2) or around a brake disk (2) arranged thereon and to act on an outer side of a rim (12) or brake disk (2) of the second wheel (2), and the other side of the other brake caliper half (3) is designed as a plunger and arranged to act on the inside of a rim (12) or brake disk (2) of the first wheel (2), so that each brake caliper half (3) can act on both wheels (2) or their brake disks (2) simultaneously.

2. Brake equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that both brake caliper halves (3) are structurally identical.

3. Brake equipment according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the brake caliper halves (3) are mounted floating against each other in fixed bearings (11).

4. Brake equipment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side of at least one of the brake caliper halves (3), which is designed to be guided around a wheel (2) or a brake disc (2), is curved and in particular U-shaped.

5. Brake equipment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side of at least one of the brake caliper halves (3), which is designed to be guided around a wheel (2) or a brake disc (2), precisely counteracts the plunger of the other brake caliper half (3) on a rim (12) or a brake disc (2).

6. Brake equipment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that both brake caliper halves (3) are moved against each other by means of a cable pull (6) or pneumatically or hydraulically or electromechanically.

7. Brake equipment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the length of the brake caliper halves (3) is adjustable.

8. Brake equipment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the brake caliper halves (3) is rod-shaped in a central region formed between the two sides and / or at least partially has a polygonal, in particular quadrangular cross-section.

9. Brake equipment according to one of the preceding claims for an overrun brake for a trailer with a drawbar (8), characterized in that the means for actuating the two brake caliper halves (3) have a rocker apparatus (7) as a connecting link between the drawbar (8) and the trailer, which has a rocker plate (15, 16) to be connected to the trailer and a movable drawbar receptacle which can be connected to the drawbar (8), the swinging plate (15, 16) and the drawbar receptacle being coupled via connecting rods (18) in such a way that the drawbar (8) can move axially with respect to the swinging plate (15, 16), and that an overrun brake can be triggered pneumatically, hydraulically or electromechanically by an axial displacement of the drawbar (8) with respect to the swinging plate (15, 16) by means of a cable pull (6).

10. Brake equipment according to claim 9, characterized by a movable rocker plate (16) as a drawbar receiver or as a carrier for the drawbar receiver, the rocker plate (16) being movably connected to the rocker plate (15) by means of the connecting rods (18).

11. Brake equipment according to claim 10, characterized in that the connecting rods (18) are arranged at an angle to one another transverse to the direction of travel and the connecting rods (18) cross one another, in particular transverse to the direction of travel.

12. Brake equipment according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that all components are arranged as a mounting unit on a mounting plate (9) with fastening elements (10) for mounting on a bicycle trailer.